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Saturday, August 25, 2012

Ornithomancy, or taking omens from birds, has long been practiced by many cultures including the Celts. The lore and meanings associated with these omens have survived in modern cultural folklore surrounding birds, although it should be noted that such folklore is a living belief that is also influenced by other factors. Nonetheless for those interested in practicing modern ornithomancy, especially from a cultural perspective, such folklore is essential. In this blog I am going to look at some Irish folklore surrounding birds that are also found in North America.Ravens (Irish - Fiach Dubh): One of the most well known birds of omen is the raven. Anytime ravens are in the area their activity, calls and direction of flight might be noted and interpreted, as they are generally seen as an ill omen. If a raven arrives just as a new task is being begun it is seen as an omen that the work will not end well, and a raven near a home signifies a death (O hOgain, 1995). A raven hovering over a herd of livestock was thought to indicate disease among the stock, and to steal a raven's egg would result in the death of a human child (Anderson, 2008). On the other hand, should a raven with white on its wings fly to the righthand side of a person and call out it was thought to be a sign of great luck for the person (Anderson, 2008).
Author Glynn Anderson suggests that most Irish lore about the raven is shared by the Norse and reflects viking influence, which may be why the bird is seen simultaneously as a symbol of death and of wisdom, having been associated with Odin and used as symbols on the banners of different Vikings (Anderson, 2008). In Irish myth ravens are associated with several deities including the Morrigan, and Lugh (Anderson, 2008). Ravens are seen as psychopomps who are able to travel between the world of the living and the world of the dead, as well as the Otherworld. They have strong associations as messengers, which may be why they are seen as such powerful birds of omen.Crows (Irish - Feannóg): Crows are seen with a similar mix of good and bad omens. It was believed that witches, fairies, bansidhe, and Badhbh appeared as hooded crows in Ireland, a belief that was especially strong in county Clare, and were thus seen as unlucky (Anderson, 2008). As with ravens a crow landing on the roof of a house or flying over a home was an omen of death or disaster, but others believe that bad luck comes when crows leave an area (O hOgain, 1995; Anderson, 2008).Magpies (Irish - Snag Breac): Magpies are thought to be the most unlucky bird to come across (O hOgain, 1995). Also seen as omens of death, they were believed to be the souls of gossiping women; a magpie tapping on a window indicated a death and landing on a wagon (or car) indicated coming news of a death (Anderson, 2008). Because encountering a magpie was always unlucky different actions evolved to mitigate the bad luck, from taking off your hat and bowing to greeting the magpie and asking after its family, although turning around and returning home would also cancel any ill luck (Anderson, 2008). Only in county Mayo were magpies seen as lucky, and seeing a magpie was interpreted as a sign that good news was on its way (Anderson, 2008).Cuckoo (Irish - Cuach): Cuckoos were seen as omens of good weather (O hOgain, 1995). To hear the first call of cuckoo in spring on the righthand side foretold good luck all summer, but to hear it on the left meant difficult times ahead (Anderson, 2008; O hOgain, 1995). To hear a cuckoo on your wedding day was lucky, but to hear it in the morning before breakfast indicated a lean year to come (Anderson, 2008). Where you first heard the cuckoo in the spring also had great meaning; in a graveyard indicated a coming death, inside a building meant bad luck, and the direction you were looking was where you would travel during the year (Anderson, 2008).Swallow (Irish - Fáinleog): Killing a swallow is seen to bring very bad luck as is disturbing their nests; it's believed that the swallow can turn the cows milk to blood (Anderson, 2008; O hOgain, 1995). A swallowing flying into your house was good luck, and if swallows built a nest in your barn it was sure to be safe from lightning; seeing a swallow while at sea was a good omen (Anderson, 2008). It was also believed that when you had your hair cut you should be careful in disposing of the clippings, because if a swallow lined her nest with them you would be afflicted with headaches the whole summer (Anderson, 2008).Swan (Irish - Eala Bhalbh and Eala Ghlórach): It was believed that swans were often actually Otherworldly beings or transformed people, so killing them was prohibited and to do so, even by accident, was very bad luck (O hOgain, 1995; Anderson, 2008). While the feather of a swan was seen as a talisman of fidelity it was believed that the bodies of dead swans should not be touched (Anderson, 2008). In mythology swans were associated with the children of Lir who were cursed into that shape by their step-mother; in several myths deities and people of the sidhe assume the shapes of swans including Angus mac Og, Midhir, and Etain. Seeing a swan in flight was an omen of good luck, and one charm in the Carmina Gadelica invokes a swan to heal a child with the words "Leech of gladness thou/ Sain my little child/ Shield him from death/ Hasten him to health." (Carmichael, 1900).Robin ( Irish - Spideog): Here in New England Robins are seen as signs of spring coming. In Ireland they represent a happy home, peace, and hope (Anderson, 2008). As such robins were never killed and if caught accidentally were always released; it was even believed once that cats would not kill robins (Anderson, 2008). Anyone who killed a robin would be afflicted with tremors or swollen hands and his cows would give blood with their milk (Anderson, 2008). Some say that the Robin got his red breast by bringing fire to humanity (as did the swallow) while others attribute it to his aiding Jesus on the cross or bringing water into Hell to give to suffering souls (Anderson, 2008). When the first robin of spring was seen a wish could be made and as long as it was completed before the robin took flight it would come true (Anderson, 2008).
Robins may be associated with the god Bel/Bile/Belenos. Wren (Irish - Dreoilín): In the old traditions the wren and the robin were said to be married, and Anderson suggests that this may reflect an older belief that the two birds shared the year, with the wren representing darkness and winter while the robin symbolized light and summer (Anderson, 2008). The wren was a sacred bird to the Druids who sought omens from its song and saw wrens as messengers of the gods; the goddess Clíona was said to take the form of a wren (Anderson, 2008). Possibly due to this wrens were demonized by the church and hunted on Saint Stephen's Day, December 26th; although it may also relate to an older pagan practice of killing wrens at this time to symbolize the death of winter which they represented (Anderson, 2008). Since wrens were associated with winter and the gods of winter I may see them as related to the Cailleach Bhur, although that is purely my own opinion. Oddly folk belief prohibits killing wrens or disturbing their nests at any other time of year (Anderson, 2008). The wren is said to be the king of the birds, after using cunning to win a contest among all the birds of Ireland; it was decided that whatever bird flew highest would be the king so the wren hid on the back of the eagle and at the height of the eagles flight leaped up to win the crown.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Time for another book review. This time I decided to update and share a review I did 5 years ago in the journal Idunna for a book by Mark Puryear called "The Nature of Asatru". If you have read and liked this book don't even bother reading this review, because I can summarize it concisely by saying that I feel this is the Asatru equivalent of the 21 Lessons of Merlin.
Looking at the back of the book it seems like it should be an ideal beginner's book; Puryear has almost 20 years experience in Asatru and is a member of a group, the Asatru Nation, which is an American offshoot of Australia's Odinic Rite. The book is touted as an introduction to the core values of Asatru, yet it quickly becomes apparent when reading the text that instead of describing widely held universal beliefs of Asatru the book is actually focused exclusively on the beliefs of Puryear's particular group, which are not in any way universal. Exactly the opposite in fact - the book is full of controversial theories, misinformation, and foreign elements. The author is also insistent that Asatru has no subgroups or denominations, despite the wide range of modern practices, and lumps all Asatruar in with the Asatru Nation/Odinic Rite. This by itself is a serious problem.
The book's tone is both racist and homophobic, reinforcing the stereotype that Asatruar are all like this. Puryear blends a bizarre sort of political correctness in with his bigotry, encouraging tolerance of other people's choices while strongly condemning miscegeny and homosexuality. He describes children with mixed heritage as having no ancestral roots and miscegeny as genocide and stops just short of encouraging people of Northern European descent to breed together to save their "race". He does flatly state that the "white race" is failing due to being outbred and not keeping the bloodlines pure. The attempts to make this more palatable with politically correct buzz words fails, at least with me. Personally as someone of mixed heritage I found it repugnant and offensive, and his wife's essay in the appendices about a woman's place compounded it by adding misogyny into the mix, albeit cleverly disguised.
The book includes many elements that seem to me to be foreign to Asatru, although I profess a very minimal knowledge of the Odinic Rite; it is possible that this is the norm for that group. Puryear says that the gods meet daily to judge the souls of the dead and assign them a place in the afterlife; not something I've heard anyone else supporting. He also very strongly divides Norse magic into "good" galdr and "evil" seidhr, going so far as to say that Gullveg was burned by the Aesir as a punishment for teaching evil seidhr to humanity. (Apperantly he ignores Freya teaching seidhr to Odin). He describes Helheim as a land of bliss. He adds nine vices to the accepted 9 noble virtues and these vices appear to be an odd mix of the Christian 10 commandments and deadly sins. He describes the Aesir and Vanir as nearly-archetypal deities of goodness, with Loki as the opposing force of pure evil He also inaccurately claims that there are no modern followers or cults to Loki. The author's ideas about orlag seem to me to be closer to the Wiccan concept of the law of 3 than the common heathen views, with his belief that orlag is about what we put out coming back to us. He also divides offerings into four catagories based on the four classical elements of earth, air, fire, and water, which struck me as being very odd.
The book's mythology was heavily influenced by the writings of Viktor Rydburg, who attempted to homogenize all Norse and Germanic mythology into a single system, with predictable results. Rydburg is not widely accepted in mainstream heathenry, yet the book presents his theories as facts without any explanation of the source material or normal views. Puryear describes Frigga as the sister of Njordh and mother of Freya, Frey, and 8 others with him, for example, which is not a widely held belief in heathenry. He equates Gullveg to Angrboda and lists Gullveg as the mother of Loki's children; in turn he says that Hel is not Loki's daughter but rather that Urd rules Helheim with Loki's daughter, named Leiken, as a minor servant. He describes Baldr as the most popular heathen god and relegates Tyr to the role of warrior and son of Odin, while denying his role as god of justice and god of the Thing which are the widely accepted views of Tyr. He describes Skadi, who is normally viewed as giantess who married into the Aesir, as the daughter of Volund (the smith) and Idunna. In his book Sunna and Mani are alfs and their mother is Nott (or Nat) who he claims is actually Ostara. I could go on, but hopefully that is enough to demonstrate the odd material presented on the gods, the majority of which is not widely accepted by the larger community. I think presenting it as if it were fact or accepted lore does a great disservice to beginners who will not realize that these are not popular beliefs.
Facts that should have been easily checked are wrong, such as the authors assertion that the most common modern and ancient method of humane animal sacrifice is beheading the animal - this statement is followed by a rambling discussion of the guillotine. The book itself is inly 127 pages long, follwed by an equally long appendices which include an essay by the author's wife about a heathen woman's place (in the home caring for her family) and a cobbled-together version of the Havamal.
In short this book is the last thing a beginner should read as it is often off-putting, offensive, confusing, and factually incorrect. While it is always best to start with the myths themselves - the poetic and prose Eddas are generally recommended - both volumes of Our Troth and Diana Paxson's book Essential Asatru would also be good for those just developing an interest in Asatru.

Friday, August 17, 2012

I decided it's time to blog about folklore and traditions relating to pregnancy, partially because I haven't had much luck finding any info online myself and I think it should be out there and partially because its an interesting topic. There is a plethora of available material on birth but pregnancy itself seems to be less often discussed. So I am going to do a series of posts on this, first Irish then Norse/Germanic, and then modern American.
Pregnancy was strongly emphasized in old Irish culture with a trial marriage only becoming permanent if a child was produced, and several of the Brehon laws addressing conception. For example there were laws that allowed either partner to sue for divorce due to the infertility of the other partner, or in the same situation for a temporary seperation of the couple in order for the fertile partner to have a child with another person (Bital, 1996). Nonetheless I could find very little information relating to pregnancy folklore or folk practices besides those relating to conception and birth. The actual pregnancy itself is rarely discussed in sources.
What I did find out was that there are a small selection of Irish superstitions relating to pregnancy. It was thought that if a pregnant woman had a hare run across her path her child would be born with a cleft lip unless she ripped the hem of her dress or skirt (O hOgain, 1995; O Suilleabhain, 1967). Similarly if a pregnant woman twisted her foot in a graveyard her child would be born with a twisted foot (O Suilleabhain, 1967). A pregnant woman should never help prepare a corpse or attend a wake, for fear of a similar fate befalling her unborn child (O hOgain, 1995; O Suilleabhain, 1967). Nor should an expectant mother attend a bride, although a pregnant woman was thought to be especially lucky for a blacksmith's forge and might be asked to grant that luck to the smith by pumping the bellows (O Suilleabhain, 1967). Generally it seems that the belief was that an unborn baby was easily influenced by outside circumstances and powers and so needed special protections from interference.
In contrast there are a multitude of beliefs and practices relating to the birth itself, which I may cover in a later blog. This at least forms a very basic idea of some of the popular beliefs about pregnancy in Ireland. As a modern polytheist I might make use of this information by using extra protections and prayers for my child's health and safety. I have also personally avoided any indepth spiritual journey work or any other intense spiritual work during pregnancy.
References:
O hOgain, D (1995) Irish Superstitions
O Suilleabhain, S., (1967) Nosanna agus Piseoga ne nGeal
Bitel, L., (1996). Land of Women

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

I haven't done a book review since last month so I thought it was about time to do another. This review will look at Miranda Green's book The World of the Druids, which was published in 1997. The book is divided into 10 sections that cover everything from what we know about ancient Druids to the Druidic revival and modern Druids. Of particular interest may be the sections on Celtic cosmology and theology, female Druids, and evidence of ritual sacrifice. At 192 pages the book is fairly short and very easy to read, with an impressive selection of images (291 to be exact) that support the text.
Green's strength is archeology so it should come as no surprise that she spends more time discussing archeological evidence than many other similar books do. This is something of a catch-22 in a book on Druidism as there is very little definitvely "Druidic" material that can be identified from ancient sites, leaving much up to guess and supposition. The advantage to the reader however is the material covered that relates more broadly to Celtic culture and can provide insight into dress, jewelry, and lifestyle as well as religion (broadly) while remaining in an easily accessible format. Unlike books that are intended to focus on archeological evidence this book largely avoids being dry or overly complicated, and is fairly easy to read and follow.
I also liked that Green is very clear about the difficulty with many of the sources, including archeology, before offering that material. She doesn't downplay the issues that we have with the sources available to us that provide the only real information we have about the Druids. She is also clear that even defining who was and wasn't "Celtic" historically is complicated, saying, "...defining the world of the ancient Celts depends upon three categories of evidence, all of which need to be used cautiously because they are incomplete and sometimes ambiguous." (Green, p 11, 1997). She does provide a solid amount of literary references from Greek and Roman writers, as well as native Celtic myth.
Green approaches defining the historic Druids by establishing who the Celts were at that time and what their beliefs were, and then uses that context to describe the Druids and their role in soceity. She uses archeology, Greek and Roman writings, and Welsh and Irish myths to do this. I can appreciate the value of this approach as context is vital to understanding any group functioning within a larger society, such as the Druids. The book is honestly worth reading just for the insight into Celtic culture that Green provides, but she does do a fair job of explaining the Druids' place as well.
The book finishes up with chapters on the Druid revivial and modern Druidism, both of which are fascinating. Although not nearly as in depth as other works, of course, it does provide a good overview of more recent Druidic history and would serve as a good introduction to the topic. The focus here is on Druids in England specifically, so anyone looking for information about the Druid revivals in other areas will have to look elsewhere.
I think that as a book on Druids this one is of moderate value, but is a better resource on Celtic culture. I can think of other books on historical and modern Druids that I would recommend first, but this one is nice in its brevity and inclusion of both historic and modern practices. I would, however, recommend it more highly as an introduction to ancient Celtic culture and religion, which is more of the book's strength than strictly Druidism. For someone just venturing into this area of study this book is a good place to start.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

There's a children's bedtime prayer making the facebook rounds and I liked it, but wanted to adapt it to better fit my own recon-ish approach. So here are several alternate versions....

A general version for all the pagan parents of little kids out there:
"Now I lay me down to rest
I pray that my home and kin be blessed;
ancestors guard me through the night
Gods watch over me by starlight
Guardian spirits are always near
and keep me safe, no need to fear
Loving spirits will dance and sing
Happy dreams they always bring
And when I wake to a new day
The shining sun will light my way"

An more Irish version:
"Now I lay me down to rest
I pray that my home and kin be blessed
ancestors guard me through the night
Gods watch over me by starlight
Guardian spirits are always near
and keep me safe, no need to fear
Goodly spirits will dance and sing
Happy dreams they always bring
And when I wake to a new day
Aine's bright sun will light my way"

And a more heathen one:
"Now I lay me down to rest
I pray that my home and kin be blessed
Disir guard me through the night
Aesir watch over me by starlight
Guardian spirits are always near
and keep me safe, no need to fear
Goodly wights will dance and sing
Happy dreams they always bring
And when I wake to a new day
Sunna's bright sun will light my way"

Saturday, August 11, 2012

One of the most important texts for modern
druids to study may be the Colloquy of the Two Sages, the tale of a
confrontation between the esteemed Druid Ferchertne and the recently graduated
student Nede. The tale, on its surface, is a simple story of a confrontation
sown by Bricriu between the elder and the youth after Bricriu convinces Nede,
who is returning from training over seas, to seize a rank beyond his
experience. The two Druids face off over the literal seat of contention,
engaging in a battle of words and wits to test who truly deserves to sit there.
In the end Ferchertne emerges the victor, but Nede’s graceful defense earns him
a place as Ferchertne’s student.

Reading this story establishes a pattern
of challenge and response that is useful for all modern Druids to study. Nede’s
initial actions are bold, even arrogant, as he assumes the chair of the highest
ranked Druid in the land and this can be seen as the opening challenge in the
coming confrontation. Nede does not approach Ferchertne as a humble petitioner,
but rather by declaring his own value and assuming a place as if it were
already his own. In response we see the first of Ferchertne’s challenges, not
only of words but of actions and attitude as he tests Nede’s resolve and temper
by speaking angrily and insulting Nede’s experience and knowledge. Nede passes
this challenge by responding calmly and proclaiming his own wisdom. This, then,
sets the stage for the next phase of the testing the direct question, where
Ferchertne asks Nede where he is from, what his name is, what art he practices,
what his tasks are, by what path has he come, whose son he is, and what tidings
there are. None of these are direct, literal questions, but all are allegorical
and are responded to with poetry, and each question is answered and then turned
back on the elder Druid. It is only after the final question, where each man is
asked to prophecy, that Nede concedes to Ferchertne and willingly proclaims him
the better poet and seer and kneels at Ferchertne’s feet, at which point the
older Druid asks the younger to stay on as his student. From this we can see
that the importance of the period of questioning and answering as a form of
testing, as well as the importance of the final acknowledgements of the
student’s true place.

In modern Druidism this pattern of
challenges could be used to model actual initiation rites on; it also
illustrates the vital importance of two elements within modern traditions: the
student-teacher relationship, and the hierarchy of wisdom. The traditional
Druidic model of teaching, as illustrated in this Colloquy, shows a student
petitioning to study with a teacher, studying with that person for as long as
there is knowledge to be gained there, and then moving on to find a new
teacher. This is illustrated in Nede’s studying at first with Eochaid in
Scotland and when that teacher can teach him no further he is sent back to
Ireland where the main action of the tale between Nede and Ferchertne occurs.
This is a useful model to be used today as well. The story also illustrates the
importance of understanding our individual place within the greater hierarchy
of our fellow Druids and both respecting those above us as well as teaching
those beneath us.

I, personally, found a great deal of
beauty and inspiration in this story. The question about what art they practice
gives a list of the many skills the Druids claimed including satire, blessing,
poetic inspiration, storytelling, peacemaking, and teaching wisdom. The tale
also showed me something of the proper balance of attitude that Druids were
expected to have, both proud and assertive but also respectful and quick-witted
in the face of confrontation. Nede serves as a great model to meditate on as
student who is well on the way to earning fame and a place of honor. I can hold
Nede before me as an example of how to react to a challenge and how to carry
myself with pride while still remaining respectful of those wiser than I.

On a final note the Colloquy is also a
treasure trove of cultural references and Druidic lore that anyone interested
in Druidism should take the time to study. I favor Christian Guyonvarc’h’s book
The Making of a Druid: Hidden Teachings from the Colloquy of the Two Sages because
of the detailed and extensive introduction, notes, and appendices. Being able
to study the story with the different translations and glosses included is very
useful and illuminating and offers additional insight into some of the passages.
These additions, such as the extensive discussion about the seven poetic grades,
are an important aspect to understand for both Druids and Celticists, or anyone
else interested in Irish culture.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Recently the discussion had been brought up about modern Druidic ethics and how - or even if - the concept of "harm none" fits in to a Druid's ethics. Some people feel strongly that a modern Druid should adhere to an ethical view that avoids any harm to others, although it varies between avoiding all harm and avoiding harm to other people. In contrast other people feel that modern Druids should preserve the best of the ancient Celtic views, including ethics.
My own opinion tends to agree with the second school of thought. I believe that as Druids in a modern world we are best served, and we best serve the ancient Druids memory, by learning what the ancient Druids, and to a greater degree the Celts, believed and finding the best ways to adapt that to our own time. Otherwise our ethics are not those of Celtic polytheists or Druids, but simply modern (or post modern) ethics; this is neither right nor wrong in itself, but as Druids I believe our ethics should be those of Druids.

Let's begin by looking at some of what we know of the ancient Druids and of Celtic morality. There are several examples in Irish lore that support the idea that violence was seen as being a necessity at times. From the triads of Ireland: "Three deaths that are better than life: the death of a salmon, the death of a
fat pig, the death of a robber" and: "Three bloodsheds that need not be impugned: the bloodshed of battle, of
jealousy, of mediating". Although the Brehon laws emphasize compensation over corporal punishment, the death penalty was a reality in Ireland. In the case of a homicide, for example, if the person refused to go before a Brehon or if he could not or would not pay the levied fine then he could lawfully be killed (Joyce, 1908). No Brehon would ever order physical punishments, as paying a fine was the standard legal punishment for any crime, but nonetheless punishments including death and blinding were common (Joyce, 1908). What this tells us is that while the Druids themselves did not advocate violence in criminal cases, it was socially acceptable for such punishments to occur. The Druids also advised kings, and this included advising military actions from cattle raids in Ireland to rebelling against Rome in Gaul; and we know as well from Tacitus's account of the destruction of Anglesey that the Druids stood against the opposing army. Juxtaposing that we also know that a Druid could stop a battle by walking between the two forces. Druids were expected to be wise enough to know when to encourage teh action and when to stop it.

In fact, rather than violence the main actions or traits that are condemned seem to be greed and lust. From the Triads of Ireland: "The three chief sins: avarice, gluttony, lust". A variety of the Brehon laws look at legislating states of marriage, sexual relations, and theft (I suggest reading Fergus Kelly's a Guide to Early Irish Law for more on this). According to Kelly's book theft could be punishable by hanging (Kelly, 1988). In some of the existing prophecies relating to the future or end of the world, such as the one given by Ferchetne in the Colloquy of Two Sages or the Morrigan's prophecy in the Cath Maige Tuired, a lot of emphasis is placed on the lack of honor, lack of modesty, false judgments, lack of truth, and a general going against the natural order of things that will occur. Similarly the Testament of Morann and the Instructions of King Cormac mac Airt emphasizes the importance of the king manifesting Truth, good judgment, generosity, and moderate behavior in order to uphold the bounty and prosperity of the land; this included being ambitious, invading neighbors, and punishing criminals. In Celtic thought there was clearly a link between correct ethics and behavior and the success or failure of life and the world itself, but those ethics, in general, seem to be directed at preserving the correct order of the world rather than improving it or idealizing it. People are not urged to abstain form alcohol or sex, or even violence, but to engage in those things in moderation and within the socially correct context; only when the actions exceed social acceptance or defy social order are there consequences.

So how do I relate this to other pagan ethics? I think Druidism in general is closer ethically to other recon faiths such as Asatru which emphasizes many of the same values. Although modern Druidry and Wicca share a common root in the friendship of Gardner and Nichols, a Druidism based more in the Celtic culture would seem to reject the modern Wiccan ethic of the Rede; although I believe there is a valid argument for the similarity in spirit of the original Rede and Drudic ethics. The original Rede, after all, was not an absolute moral law but a guideline for behavior that was open to personal choice with an understanding of consequences (I highly recommend Peter Coughlin's book Ethics and the Craft for more on this subject, or his online segments here http://www.waningmoon.com/ethics/rede.shtml). In the same way Celtic ethics appear to be based on the idea of personal responsibility and accepting the consequences of any action. However the modern Rede as it is understood by many people is seen as less flexible and more absolute and would be difficult to harmonize with my understanding of Celtic ethics. The Celts seemed to have an understanding of harm as having a place within the greater workings and balance of the world, and I have a difficult time envisioning a Druidic ethic that advocates the lack of balance inherent in a path that rejects all harm. People are expected to accept the consequences of their own actions, even if that consequence is harmful to them. The natural world is expected to endure some harm in support of human life. Even nature itself includes a balance between harm and life that is normative; natural forest fires destroy yet also clear the way for new growth, and life is often predicated on some level of harm to other living things.
How do I personally incorporate Celtic ethics into my practice of Druidism? I believe that the ultimate lessons of such ethics are Truth and moderation, and so this is what I seek in my life. Truth is an understanding of the nature of reality and of living in correct alignment with that reality; when I manifest Truth in my life then I also manifest positive qualities in the world around me. Another aspect of this is good judgment, since a person who is embracing Truth should consequently be able to correctly understand the nature of other things and reach correct judgments about them. Moderation is another key aspect, where a person should be generous without being careless, ambitious without being over-reaching, and brave without being foolish, for example. How does this relate to causing harm? Well, I see harm as sometimes necessary - there are times when a tree must be cut down for the good of the other trees, or for a need; there are times when a small pain is needed to prevent a greater one later. And there are times when violence is necessary as well. I know myself well enough to know that if my childrens' lives were threatened I would do whatever I had to in order to protect them, and knowing this I could never say that I live my life with the belief of never harming another person. I would be hypocritical to say such a thing. Although a great deal of my life is directed at preserving life and healing those who need healing, I know that sometimes we must defend ourselves. Sometimes we must bring harm, but I try to never do so without a reason. My ethic embraces harm only as it is absolutely necessary, creating a dynamic that nurtures life and healing but accepts the balance that nature requires. If I harvest a plant it is for food or another use; I have taught my children never to recklessly destroy plants for fun. When I eat meat I appreciate the sacrifice of the animal's life - truly when I eat anything I appreciate the living thing that died to feed me. And if I have to harm a person intentionally I see it as a last resort and do so only if it seems justified. This all applies equally to physical actions and to magic. I feel that this is most strongly in line with the ancient Celtic ethics and also is inline with the modern world.
To me the most important part is being able to understand if there is a need for the harm, and being able to accept the consequences of my own actions. If I cause harm then I try to follow the old Brehon law consequence of making reparations; I acknowledge what I did or my part in what happened and seek to recompense the involved or effected person. I strive to preserve harmony and balance within my understanding of Truth.

References:
Joyce, P., (1908). a Smaller Social History of Ancient Ireland. Retrieved from http://www.alia.ie/tirnanog/sochis/sochis01.html#iv
Kelly, F., (1988). a Guide to Early Irish Law
Meyers, K., (1906) the Triads of Ireland. Retrieved from http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/T103006.html

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

This is a version of a prayer taken from volume one of the Carmina Gadelica, modernized in language and content and made pagan. I have modefied this one more than I usually do to make it applicable to anyone in an urban or suburban setting (as opposed to the normal agricultural focus of the Gadelica). It is based on Reaping Blessing #90

A Modern Lughnasa Prayer

This morning at the first light of dawn
With the face of the sun rising in the east
I will go forth and celebrate Lughnasa
I will honor the harvest of my life

I will reflect on what I have sown
With the product of my effort around me
I will raise my eye upwards
I will turn in a sacred round

Rightway as travels the sun
From the airt of the east to the west
From the airt of the north, calmly turning,
To the very core of the airt of the south

I will give thanks to the Gods who bless me,
To the spirits that surround me,
To the ancestors who made me,
And I will make offerings to them.

About Me

find me on twitter at https://twitter.com/MorganDaimler
or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Morgandaimler/
My name is Morgan Daimler. I have been a witch since 1991, following a path based on the Fairy Faith blended with neopagan witchcraft. I love studying other paths and other ways of doing things and I enjoy discussing religion, philosophy and spirituality with people from diverse path. I try to stay active in the pagan community and am always interested in hearing about how other people are doing things.
I have had my poetry and prose published in different places including eight anthologies, Circle magazine, as well as Witches and Pagans magazine. I am the author of the book By Land, Sea, and Sky, the children's book a Child's Eye View of the Fairy Faith which is published through Spero Publishing, and through Moon Books: Where the Hawthorn Grows, Fairy Witchcraft, Pagan Portals: the Morrigan, Pagan Portals: Irish Paganism, Pagan Portals: Brigid, Pagan Portals Gods and Goddesses of Ireland. I also have a self published urban fantasy/paranormal romance series, Between the Worlds.